


A Day for Exes

by RealMagicQueen



Series: A Lover and a Fighter [1]
Category: Looking (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-15
Updated: 2017-02-15
Packaged: 2018-09-24 12:44:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9727412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RealMagicQueen/pseuds/RealMagicQueen
Summary: It's not over for Brady. Patrick fights back. Kevin returns. Richie questions Patrick.





	

Patrick felt a warm glow in his belly once he caught sight of the barber truck. His face was however still blighted with a frown as the cold fury that had encompassed him since early this morning refused to dissipate.

The liar, he thought. He stubbed his toe on the sidewalk and stumbled a little as he marched towards the truck.

“Move on,” Richie had told him.

“I’m doing this for myself,” he had insisted. “I miss Agustin and Dom. I miss San Francisco. I can’t run away forever especially when there is no longer any reason to run.”

“Come back, yes, if you want to, but do something else. Start your own thing like you said.”

It wouldn’t be so easy, Patrick had argued. Working at MDG would be like stepping on a spring board and leaping into a better more stable future.

Richie had still refused to move to Denver, not like Patrick had wanted him to. He had gone to Texas instead, alone. He had meant what he said about taking it really slow. He stayed in Texas for a month, visited Mexico, even went to New York then came back to San Francisco, finally at peace. All that while, Patrick was in Denver. Then MDG made their offer and he leapt at it. Kevin was gone, Patrick could finally head his own department at an established company and not an obscure start up in Denver. He had been desperate for stability. Contrary to his claims to Richie, he had wanted this for them too –him and Richie, together in San Francisco, happily ever after.

One week he had been at MDG, everything going fine, happy with his choices for once. And then this morning, Kevin had walked into his office. He had broken up with Jon for good. He was staying back in San Francisco while Jon returned to Seattle. He was still Patrick’s boss, now heading three departments instead of the one.

“You liar,” Patrick had spat at him in the breakroom while Kevin tried to explain himself but Patrick had refused to listen.

“If he tries anything this time, just go to HR,” Meredith had advised.

Owen’s advice was simpler yet seemed a bit more difficult to enact: “Just ignore him. It’s over. After sometime, he’ll get it and move on.”

Patrick stopped at the edge of the truck. He could hear Richie’s gravelly voice, followed by a familiar high-pitched one. Shit, he thought. It was a day for exes, wasn’t it? He trailed his hand along the side of the vehicle, listening closely as he moved towards the edge of its open side door. He peeked in. He caught Brady’s face in the mirror. The redhead was smiling widely as he watched Richie trim his beard.

“We could go to that place you like where they serve those green cocktails.”

Richie laughed. “Okay.”

Patrick climbed into the truck. Brady’s eyes turned to shards of glass. He forced a smile. “Hi, Pattie cakes.”

“Hey,” Richie called, obviously surprised but delighted to see his boyfriend.

Patrick stood at the door.  “Hi.”

Richie frowned. “What’s wrong?” He came closer, wrapped his arms around Patrick’s waist and scrutinized him.

Patrick tried to focus on Richie’s concerned face but couldn’t help glancing at Brady whose eyes had gone liquid with hurt. There was also an air of anger around him. Patrick ignored him. He kissed Richie lightly before moving out of his embrace into the truck.

“Nothing. Tough day. Hi, Brady. What a surprise?”

“Yeah. I decided to take a leaf from your book, you know, befriend my ex.”

“Oh. That’s great. Friends. Well, take my advice then. It never works. You’ll just go back to being enemies.”

“Really?” Brady glanced between Richie and Patrick, eyes searching. Richie was now taking off the cloth around Brady’s neck.

“Of course, I don’t mean me and Richie. I mean in general. It never makes sense to befriend your ex. Just move on and possibly avoid them as much as you can.” His lips tightened as he remembered Kevin. “It didn’t work out once, it is guaranteed not to work out a second or third time.”

Brady got up from his chair, intrigued. “Hmmm, I sense trouble in paradise.” He looked at Richie who was staring at Patrick, eyes narrowed.

Patrick leaned his butt against the counter, his back to the mirror, arms folded. “Like I said, I wasn’t talking about Richie and me. We are good. We moved in together, did he tell you that?”

“Oh really? That good? Like _I_ said,” Brady turned to Riche, “give it time, he’ll break your heart again. The signs are already there.”

Richie eyed Brady, flicked the cloth and started to fold it.

Patrick felt his rage boil over. “What are you doing here again, Brady?”

“Reconnecting,” he put his hands in his jacket pockets, a smirk on his lips. “I had no problem with you reconnecting with Richie. So I guess it’s my turn now.”

Patrick chuckled, a dry sound that rasped against the thick tension in the air. “Give up, sweetheart. That chapter is closed for you.”

“Maybe, maybe not.”

Patrick knew he shouldn’t let Brady goad him. He should move instead to Richie –who had now taken a broom and was sweeping the hairs off the floor –and reassure him.

“Look, even if Richie and I ever broke up, which by the way will never happen, what makes you think he would come back to you?”

Brady shrugged, eyes glinting, “Hope, I guess.”

Patrick laughed. “Hope. I don’t think it means what you think it means.”

Brady snapped. He turned furiously towards Richie, “What exactly do you see in him?”

Shoulders hunched over the broom, Richie moved around Brady, trying to get the hairs under the counter.

“What exactly did he see in you?” Patrick snapped back. “Still shaming closeted guys with your little blog, trying to pretend you are not some sad, pathetic little cunt who doesn’t have it all figured out like everyone else.”

“Oh I have it all figured out, Pattie cakes. This, whatever this is, won’t last. Aren’t you tired of moving around?”

“Better than staying in one place with my head up my ass, chasing after an ex who clearly no longer wants anything to do with you.”

Brady glared at Richie who had now bent to sweep the hairs into a dustpan. He trembled with anger, his eyes shining with unshed tears.

“You really think if I hadn’t come back you and Richie would still be together?”

“At least we were together for a year. You were together how long? One week, two weeks? How long has it been now?”

“As long as forever. He is mine. He chose me. Deal with it. And if I had remained in San Francisco, one year would have been two months, tops!”

Brady's eyes darkened, absorbing the truth. He looked at Richie again. The raven haired man was studiously trying to get to the corners under the counter. Brady turned back towards Patrick. He appeared smaller suddenly, fragile even. Patrick walked towards him. He would throw him out before he allowed him close to his Richie ever again.

“You know what, you are right,” Brady spat, momentarily stopping Patrick in his tracks. “Who needs exes?” The last word came out in a hiss through his clenched teeth.

Brady fumbled in his pocket, fished out some crumpled up notes and threw it at the counter. He whipped towards the door and jumped out of the truck. Patrick waited. With one last look at a still silent Richie, who was now walking towards the back of the truck with the dustpan and broom in his hand, Brady stalked off.

Patrick let out a huge breath he didn’t know he had been holding. Well, that was disappointing, he thought. He had wanted more. He had imagined Brady lashing out at him. Him, pulling at that horrible pointy beard, punching Brady’s face in, picturing Kevin’s as he did so and punching even harder. He heard Richie move and turned towards him. Richie was leaning against some drawers, staring at him.

“Happy?”

Patrick sighed again, walked towards Richie, got to him and wrapped his arms around his love. He buried his face in Richie’s neck, inhaled. Richie didn’t hug him back. Patrick drew away.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I wasn’t going to get into the middle of that. Last time I did, I broke up with one of you.” Richie’s voice was hard.

Patrick winced.

“I like my life right now,” Richie said, his voice softening. Hand reaching up to cup Patrick’s face, he asked, “What happened?”

Patrick closed his eyes, exhaled. “Kevin.”

He opened his eyes. Richie’s head was cocked to the side, waiting. “Apparently, he never left MDG. He is back, on contract.”

“And you are upset, why?”

“Because he lied. He said he was leaving, moving to London.”

“And this bothers you?”

Richie was still holding himself away from Patrick. Patrick tried to pull him close but he remained rigid.

“You still love him, Pato?”

“No! Of course not.” He let go of Richie. “I just feel like he did this on purpose, still trying to mess with me. With us. I love you, Richie and I can’t stand the thought of anything coming between us again. I’m gonna quit my job. I should have listened to you. I shouldn’t have gone back to MDG. I should have guessed Kevin was going to pull something like this. It’s so stupid, if you think about it. Really? I mean, really?”

Richie sighed. He moved away from the drawers, started packing up, putting away some equipment, covering others up with sheets.

“You can’t keep running away, Pato.”

“What? You want me to keep working there, with Kevin?”

Richie came to stand in front of him. “I’m not worried about Kevin. I’m worried about you. If you want to quit your job, do it for the right reasons this time.”

Patrick stared into those brown eyes he loved so much. His eyes flicked to Richie’s lips, he licked his. He held Richie’s face, stroking his sideburns. “I love you, Richie.”

“I know.”

Richie’s gaze was steady, with a challenge in it.

Patrick sighed, letting go. “You are right. I have got to stop worrying about unnecessary shit and people. Like Kevin. Like Brady.” His mouth twisted as if he just tasted something sour.

They both stepped out of the back and into the cab of the truck. Patrick studied Richie as he put on his seatbelt. He put his hand on Richie’s on the gearshift. Richie waited.

“You don’t have to worry about me, Richie. Yeah, I may still be a little neurotic but I’m no longer stupid. I won’t give this -us, what we have now -up for anything. I almost clawed out Brady’s eyes.”

Richie smiled. “Really?”

Patrick described how he thought of grabbing Brady by the beard and punching the smaller man.

“You would have been surprised,” Richie laughed. “Brady is much tougher than he looks.”

Patrick snorted. “I could take him.”

Richie laughed. The pure sound brought back the warmth in Patrick’s belly. He reached out for his love and pulled him in for a deep kiss.

“I love you,” he said, when they separated.

“I love you too.” Richie started the truck. “You think I could take Kevin.”

Patrick laughed. “Oh, I think Kevin would run at the mere thought of you coming at him fists up.”

Richie grinned.

Oh, they could do this, Patrick thought. They were doing this and really, nothing else mattered.


End file.
